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6.5 Grendel or 6.5 Creedmoor? HELP!!!!!

I am about to have my first AR built and these two calibers are my final two choices. I don't know which one to get. I am gonna be deer and hog hunting with it at a range of a maximum of 600the yrds. The only problem I am having in deciding is the Creedmoor is considerably more to build but offers more bullet choices from hornady(which is my preferred brand) and the Grendel is way way cheaper to build but has only one ammo choice. Help please I am wanting to start building next week!

i believe the creedmoor has to be built on the AR10 frame. I have a POF P308, believe me it weighs much more than the standard platform. So if you plan to carry it around it won't be any fun.

The Grendel can take down about anything you want within reason, i.e. don't think I would shoot a moose with one. Many more choices for barrels for the AR platform on the Grendel, very few on the Creedmoor. There are a bunch of choices of bullets also for the Grendel.

Ya, all that elkbow said. I have never seen Creedmoore offered in an AR barrel, I bet you would need one custom built. As it is much longer than Grendel it may or may not fit the AR10 platform. I would not want to try this untill I was closer to a master builder (I aint close). Why not join the great bloodstained Hoard? We can be pretty fun when we aint argueing over .0010". LOL

The Grendel Horde is nothing if not helpful. All those replies while I was working on mine!! Thanks for all the help guys!

”You seek escape from pain. We seek the achievement of happiness. You exist for the sake of avoiding punishment. We exist for the sake of earning rewards. Threats will not make us function; fear is not our incentive. It is not death that we wish to avoid, but life that we wish to live.” - John Galt

Thanks for the advice. The weight probaly wont be much of an issue considering the .338 win mag I use weighs a good bit. Does that ammo listed above require me to do the reloading? I dont want to have to start reloading.

Thanks for the advice. The weight probaly wont be much of an issue considering the .338 win mag I use weighs a good bit. Does that ammo listed above require me to do the reloading? I dont want to have to start reloading.

All that ammunition is available as factory loads from Alexander Arms, and often also available from Midway, Cabelas, etc.

”You seek escape from pain. We seek the achievement of happiness. You exist for the sake of avoiding punishment. We exist for the sake of earning rewards. Threats will not make us function; fear is not our incentive. It is not death that we wish to avoid, but life that we wish to live.” - John Galt

Thanks I just saw the link lol. I am thinking of putting a flat top reciever and a 4x12x50 nikon prostaff with a BDC reticle, also have a 4-way rail with a eo-tech red dot offset to the side for those close range shots and a pistol grip. What you think of that combo?

Ben: Welcome and good luck with the build. What you descibed for your build is very similar to what I have on one of my Grendels.

I used the monolithic upper offered by Alexander Arms with a Leupold Mark 4 4.5-15x50 scope. I have a Burris Fastfire mounted at 45 degrees off the upper rail for those close-in shots.
This type of setup works very well for me.

I am about to have my first AR built and these two calibers are my final two choices. I don't know which one to get. I am gonna be deer and hog hunting with it at a range of a maximum of 600the yrds. The only problem I am having in deciding is the Creedmoor is considerably more to build but offers more bullet choices from hornady(which is my preferred brand) and the Grendel is way way cheaper to build but has only one ammo choice. Help please I am wanting to start building next week!

My father-in-law would tell you to go creedmoor if you intended to hunt the big russian boar of southern CA (he's taken many and warns never to underestimate them). Aside from that, we'd both vote for Grendel.

I like the Grendel because of the size options, and because in the Rifle it can shoot almost anything I want withing the ranges that are practical for me. However, I am building a Creedmoor upper to go with my AR10 lower that I already have. I put together a handgun every year for a handgun hunt, the last two years being the 6.8 SPCII, a 6.5 Grendel, and since I'm going to need to take a long shot at a Mouflon later this year, I am putting together a Creedmoor handgun. Since I already have an AR10, I will build a Creedmoor upper for it. I have .260 Rem, and .260 REM Ack Imp bolt guns, and have put down a lot of animals in Africa with them. The 6.5 Creedmoor was created, and correct me if I am wrong, because while using the longer bullets in a .260 Rem in an AR10 frame, there is a magazine clearance problem. So the front end of the cartridge was shortened .115 inches to allow use of the heavier bullets. The shoulder was also changed from 20 degrees to 30 degrees. This makes the difference in case capacities from 54.8 gr water in the .260, and 52.4 in the Creedmoor. I would go with the Creedmoor because of the better .308 magazine clearance.

I think it really comes down to what you want to use it for, but like me I get one just to have one and get out to the range with it, whatever it is, alot of fun, I do love shooting my POF P308, but bought the complete gun, even though i normally build all my guns, I got the P308 with a 16" barrel because all the reports are that it outshoots the 20" barrel, and it does shoot some great groups with my handloads, so I will use it at the range and take it out hunting once in awhile, probably for Oryx here in New Mexico if I can draw the off-the-range hunt again

Thanks for the advice. The weight probaly wont be much of an issue considering the .338 win mag I use weighs a good bit. Does that ammo listed above require me to do the reloading? I dont want to have to start reloading.

As folks have pointed out, the Grendel will do the job you want and be the lightest rifle. Ammunition is available and more types are coming out.

Also, my take is that the AR15 line of rifles has many more options for builds and, I think, can be done for a little less money. The folks who have done AR10 and AR15, builds can add more information.

If, as you indicate, you want the added velocity by going to one of the larger cases and don't mind the weight, the .260 Remington has a lot more factory ammunition offerings than the Creedmore. BTW, the Creedmore was designed to allow long-nosed target bullets to be conveniently loaded to magazine length. It is less likely to have anywhere near as large a selection of factory ammunition options as either the Grendel or the .260

I like the Grendel because of the size options, and because in the Rifle it can shoot almost anything I want withing the ranges that are practical for me. However, I am building a Creedmoor upper to go with my AR10 lower that I already have. I put together a handgun every year for a handgun hunt, the last two years being the 6.8 SPCII, a 6.5 Grendel, and since I'm going to need to take a long shot at a Mouflon later this year, I am putting together a Creedmoor handgun. Since I already have an AR10, I will build a Creedmoor upper for it. I have .260 Rem, and .260 REM Ack Imp bolt guns, and have put down a lot of animals in Africa with them. The 6.5 Creedmoor was created, and correct me if I am wrong, because while using the longer bullets in a .260 Rem in an AR10 frame, there is a magazine clearance problem. So the front end of the cartridge was shortened .115 inches to allow use of the heavier bullets. The shoulder was also changed from 20 degrees to 30 degrees. This makes the difference in case capacities from 54.8 gr water in the .260, and 52.4 in the Creedmoor. I would go with the Creedmoor because of the better .308 magazine clearance.

I really think Hornady just wanted to have a 6.5mm in the new wave of .264's sweeping the market, and they just necked down their 30 TC and called it the 6.5 Creedmore. Since the .260 Rem book COAL is the same as the .308 (2.80"), there are absolutely no issues of loading even the 140gr Berger VLD's in the .260/AR10 action, magazine-fed. I have a .260 Rem AR-10, and I haven't encountered a single projectile that limits my mag-length loading, and I have 139gr Lapua Scenars, 140gr Berger VLD's, 142gr SMK's, 140gr Barnes Match Burners, 140gr AMAX's, and 144gr Lapua FMJ's. There is plenty of room, and I can even load a bit longer than 2.80", as I have loaded 2.815 before just to see how seating depths my help with a particular load.

When I was planning this custom .260 Rem build, I was looking at .260 Rem, 6.5x47 Lapua, and 6.5 Creedmore. At the end of the day, brass availability is what drove my decision, and has favored me with even more new offerings from Lapua, and even Sako overseas. The 6.5x47 and 6.5 Creedmore still only have one source of brass. I started out necking down the stronger Winchester 7mm-08 brass, since the factory Remington .260 brass looks like garbage, but now Lapua makes .260 Rem, so no need to mess with Winchester brass, unless I'm looking for an inexpensive bag of brass from Sportman's.

I'm really enjoying the .260 Rem, but you absolutely need an AR10 action for these cases based off the .308 Winchester.

For the OP: If you truly will be hunting medium game at a distance of 600yds, you will need a larger case than Grendel, I believe, although a well-placed shot using a high-end bullet would probably get it done. There is just more velocity from a .473" base case holding 45gr or more of H2O. You will not be lugging around an AR10 though and enjoying your hunt much, unless you get an $800-$1000 carbon fiber wrapped barrel.

Well I guess I should have clarified that I like to load Barnes all guilding metal bullets, and I have run into some issues with those. I'm sure there aren't with the other bullets that have a heavier metal component. Besides, I load almost all my own ammo, so a source of ammo is not a consideration for me, just as long as I can get good brass. I can see that option for others. I was loading .260 Remington years before it was the .260 Remington (6.5-.308), with my own custom reamers, as was necking up .243 brass for it. When I went to the .260 Ackley improved, I had to fire form all those cases. I guess I have to admit I want another caliber to play with.